Dog that attacked five-year-old Saskatoon boy involved in three other attacks
CTV News has learned a dog that attacked a five-year-old boy last week had been declared dangerous in February 2022, but the city had lost track of the owner a year ago.
According to City Solicitor Cindy Yelland, the dog was involved in three violent incidents prior to attacking the child outside Meadowgreen Confectionary on March 22.
The dog killed a cat in 2020, attacked a cyclist in June 2021, and attacked another dog in July 2021, Yelland said.
“The Crown (City Solicitor’s Office) believed there was clear evidence the animal was dangerous. City prosecutors also did not believe the owner possessed the ability to safely manage the dog,” Yelland told CTV News.
At the time, she said prosecutors asked for the dog to be destroyed but the court declined, opting instead to place conditions for the animal that the owner was legally obligated to follow, including wearing a muzzle, being kept in an enclosure, getting behavioural training, and having regular appearance dates for monitoring.
Animal Control is responsible for making sure the owner follows the conditions of a dangerous animal order, but Yelland says they lost contact with the owner in March 2022 when the owner moved without telling the city.
“We were unable to locate the owner, leading us to believe they were transient. The whereabouts of the owner and the dog had been unknown until this attack.”
Following the attack last week, the city learned the dog had changed hands several times in the last year, and Yelland says it’s unclear whether the previous owners disclosed the dangerous animal order on the animal.
On Tuesday, city prosecutors issued a warrant for the dog’s seizure and it was “surrendered by the owners for destruction,” Yelland says.
After a mandatory 10-day waiting period, the dog will be euthanized, the city says.
Yelland says her office also expects to receive a prosecution request from the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency for the dog’s owner.
Correction
Based on information provided by the city solicitor, an earlier version of this story indicated the dog was declared dangerous in February 2021.
The city informed CTV News that was a typo. The dangerous animal order was issued on February 11, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.